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Greater Boston blockbuster cases and where they go next: From Karen Read to Brian Walshe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

The husband accused of murdering and dismembering his wife in their Cohasset home on the first day of this year and then hiding her body, which has never been found, is back in court this week.It’s one of several big cases that have made this year such a newsy one.Brian Walshe, 48, was indicted for the murder of his wife, Ana Walshe, 39, in March, and was arraigned on the charge in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on April 27. At that time, Judge Beverly J. Cannone denied him bail and set a next court date for Aug. 23, this Wednesday, a date confirmed by the clerk’s office last week.The case has been largely dormant since that time, minus a treasure trove of District Court-level filings that were released when the case was kicked up to the Superior Court, as the defense and prosecutors build their cases.The grisly case has garnered national attention with its details, including alleged Google searches found in the days following Ana Walshe’s disappearance, including “How long ...

The calm before the storm: When will Hilary have the most impact on San Diego?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Hilary is barreling towards San Diego County with rain and wind in tote. The Category 4 hurricane is moving up Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and is expected to sweep the region throughout the weekend, according to predictions from the National Weather Service. The storm is expected to downgrade to a tropical storm by landfall.A Tropical Storm Watch turned Tropical Storm Warning -- both a first of its kind advisory for Southern California -- were issued Friday, meaning that tropical storm conditions like strong winds and heavy precipitation are expected to set in. MORE: Tracking Hilary As far as tropical storm force winds, Hilary’s peak window is expected to be Saturday night into early Sunday for those in the warning areas, according to NWS. "Hurricane Hilary has speed up a bit, along with a slight shift eastward in its track," weather officials said Saturday morning.What does this means for San Diego County? This results in Sunday morning through Sunday evening ...

England women’s team unites fans as once-ignored squad eyes nation’s first World Cup title since ’66

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

LONDON (AP) — It’s easy to understand why Gail Newsham can’t stop grinning as she prepares for England’s soccer team to play in the final of the Women’s World Cup.Newsham, 70, grew up at a time when women in England were banned from the sport — called football here — and helped lead a resurgence in the game once those restrictions were lifted. Now she’s getting ready to watch Sunday’s game against Spain on TV and hoping to see her team bring home the world championship.“I’ll be wearing my shirt, I’ll be having a sausage roll and a glass of bubbles,” Newsham said, already sporting her blue England jersey. “That’s what I’ve done every match, so I’m going to do it again on Sunday and just, you know, cheer the girls on.”She won’t be alone.When the Lionesses take to the field, they will be backed by hordes of girls rooting for their heroes, mothers and grandmothers celebrating the progress that has been made since they were denied a chance to play the game. They and rabid male and female...

GM’s Cruise autonomous vehicle unit agrees to cut fleet in half after 2 crashes in San Francisco

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit has agreed to cut its fleet of San Francisco robotaxis in half as authorities investigate two recent crashes in the city.The state Department of Motor Vehicles asked for the reduction after a Cruise vehicle without a human driver collided with an unspecified emergency vehicle on Thursday.“The DMV is investigating recent concerning incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco,” the DMV said Saturday in a statement to The Associated Press. “Cruise has agreed to a 50% reduction and will have no more than 50 driverless vehicles in operation during the day and 150 driverless vehicles in operation at night.”The development comes just over a week after California regulators allowed Cruise and Google spinoff Waymo to operate autonomous robotaxis throughout San Francisco at all hours, despite safety worries spurred by recurring problems with unexpected stops and other erratic behavior.The decision Aug. 10 by the Public Utilities Co...

B.C. state of emergency helps rapid response to raging wildfires: Eby

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

British Columbia Premier David Eby says his government’s decision to declare a provincial state of emergency allows authorities to rapidly access tools and implement measures to deal with the evolving wildfire situation.B.C. is no stranger to states of emergency, as they were introduced in the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons and during the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions on gatherings took effect.A state of emergency under B.C.’s Emergency Program Act allows the province to enact emergency orders, including restricting travel to specific areas.Under the act, the government can implement procedures it considers necessary to prevent, respond to and alleviate the effects of an emergency or disaster.Eby said late Friday that B.C. is facing the worst wildfire season in its history and the deteriorating situation means the province needs to respond to challenging days ahead.B.C.’s wildfires have resulted in more than 15,000 people being told to evacuate their properti...

Former Minnesota governor, congressman Al Quie dies at 99

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie, a moderate Republican known for working across the aisle as both governor and as a congressman, has died. He was 99.Quie died of natural causes late Friday at his home in Wayzata, his son, Joel Quie, said Saturday. While he had been in declining health in recent months, he still enjoyed meeting people. At a family gathering two weeks ago, he read aloud to his great-grandchildren from their favorite storybook, his son said.“His stature and his energy and his enthusiasm for life was there right to the end,” Joel Quie said.Al Quie represented southern Minnesota’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1958 to 1979. He returned home and defeated Democrat Rudy Perpich in the 1978 gubernatorial race. But his single term turned rocky amid a budget shortfall in the early 1980s, and he opted not to seek reelection.But Quie, a man of deep Lutheran faith, remained active after leading office, serving as a leader of the nat...

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson speaks as he begins suspension

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

DENVER — Since his fight on August 5 in Cleveland, fans have only heard from Tim Anderson through posts on his social media. But the White Sox shortstop spoke to reporters on Friday in Denver ahead of the start of the team's three-game series with the Rockies and Anderson's five-game suspensions. Originally a six-contest ban for fighting the Guardian's Jose Ramirez, he got it reduced by one by Major League Baseball earlier this week.Anderson said he "let his emotions get the best of him" during a conversation with beat reporters at Coors Field.“Just continue to keep working and understand, I have to be better. I will be better," said Anderson to LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune.This comes a day after the two-time All-Star released a lengthy statement on Instagram where he apologized to the team and fans for the fallout from the fight, which received much attention around the league. Anderson's fight comes in the midst of a disappointing season for the shortstop, who is hitting .23...

These Illinois counties drink more than others, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

ILLINOIS (NEXSTAR) — Do you know how many adults in Illinois identify themselves as heavy drinkers? Would you want to know?Earlier this year, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released its 2023 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report, which is meant to raise awareness about factors that can impact health outcomes and disparities nationwide.Researchers use numerous data points to determine the length and quality of life on a state-by-state basis. Among those factors is alcohol use, including reported excessive drinking. To determine the rates of excessive drinking per state, researchers used self-reported data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system. For the 2023 report, the University of Wisconsin used data from 2020 — the first year of the COVID pandemic. Excessive drinking encompasses both binge drinking (four or more drinks on one occasion for women, five or more for men) and heavy drinkin...

2 NASCAR drivers suspended indefinitely after DWI arrests in North Carolina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (WJZY) – Two NASCAR drivers that were recently arrested for DWI in Huntersville this month have been suspended indefinitely, officials have confirmed. NASCAR authorities told Nexstar's WJZY that drivers Chris Hacker and Jason White were both suspended from NASCAR indefinitely, citing two behavioral conduct standards from its rulebook.Both suspensions occurred on Thursday, Aug. 17. Records show driver Jason Alan White, 44, was arrested the afternoon of Aug. 3, and Huntersville Police records state a DWI arrest at the same time.White drove a Toyota for Mooresville-based TRICON Garage in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he placed 47th in the 2023 standings. He also had more than 50 starts in the Xfinity Series.  NASCAR Xfinity Series coming to the CW Network in 2025 Driver Christopher Hacker, 23, was also pulled over by Huntersville Police just after midnight on Tuesday, Aug. 15, on I-77 North for excessive speeding, according to the police report.Upon further inv...

5 steps to prepare for student loan repayment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:55 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Federal student loan repayment resumes in the coming months — interest begins accruing in September, with payments starting in October — after a 3½-year payment pause. According to a new NerdWallet survey, most federal student loan borrowers (88%) didn’t make payments during the pandemic forbearance. If you’re one of these borrowers, here are five steps to prepare for repayment.1. Know your detailsAccording to the survey, nearly half of federal student loan borrowers (46%) don’t know how much student loan debt they currently have, and 57% don’t know who their loan servicer is. Close to a third of federal student loan borrowers (31%) aren’t sure what their interest rates will be when forbearance ends, and 27% aren’t sure how to make payments at that time.If you don’t know who your student loan servicer is, log in to the Federal Student Aid website using your FSA ID (you can create one if you don’t yet have one). On the left, you’ll see your total balance, and on the ri...